Luzhniki Stadium
Moscow, Russia | broke_ground = 1955 | built = | opened = 31 July 1956 | renovated = 1996—1997, 2001—2004, 2013—2017 | expanded = | closed = | demolished = | tenants = Russia national football team 1973 Summer Universiade 1980 Summer Olympics 1998 First World Youth Games 2018 FIFA World Cup | seating_capacity = 78,360 | dimensions = | record_attendance = |}} Luzhniki Stadium, is a sport stadium in Moscow, Russia. The stadium has capacity of 81,006 people. It was opened in 1956, and was called as Central Lenin Stadium. Luzhniki Stadium is located on the Luzhniki Sports Complex. The stadium has served as venue of various clubs, such as Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow. Currently there are no clubs based at the stadium. The stadium will serve as one the venue of 2018 FIFA World Cup. It will host the final match. History and description Luzhniki Stadium, initially called Central Lenin Stadium, was built between 1955 and 1956. It was the result of the ambition of the Soviet leadership to upgrade the country’s sports facilities after the Soviet Union had tasted its first post-war successes at the 1952 Olympics. Works on Luzhniki Olympic Complex started in 1954 and construction of its centrepiece stadium, also called the Grand Sports Arena, in 1955. The stadium got finished in just 450 days and officially opened on 31 July 1956. Luzhniki Stadium served as the centrepiece stadium of the 1980 Olympics, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics events, football finals, and equestrian programme. In 1982, a stadium disaster took place at the stadium during a second round UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak and Dutch side HFC Haarlem. In the dying seconds of the match, people started rushing for the exits to make it to the metro before the rest of the crowd. When someone fell on the icy staircases, chaos ensued, and the resulting crush and domino effect killed 66 people. Until the 1990s, the roofless stadium could hold just over 100,000 spectators. In 1996, the stadium got extensively renovated, which included the construction of a roof over the stands and the refurbishment of the seating areas, which resulted in a decrease of capacity. In 1999, Luzhniki Stadium hosted the UEFA Cup final between Parma and Marseille (3-0), and in 2008 the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea (1-1). The stadium was regularly used by Spartak Moscow, lacking a home of their own, until they moved to the newly built Otkritie Arena in 2014. Luzhniki Stadium got selected to host the final of the 2018 World Cup, and as a result had to undergo a large redevelopment. It hosted its last football match in May 2013 and closed following the IAAF Athletics World Championships in August 2013. Redevelopment works entailed the complete reconstruction of the stands, now divided over two tiers, the removal of the running tracks, and an expanded roof structure. The characteristic exterior of the stadium has remained intact. Works were completed in the summer of 2017, and the first football match at the reopened stadium, a friendly between Russia and Argentina (0-1), was played on 11 November 2017. Apart from the final, Luzhniki will also host the opening match, three further first round group matches, a round of 16 match, and a semi-final. External links *The Stadium Guide *Official website Category:FC Spartak Moscow Category:Stadiums Category:Russian stadiums Category:Russian Premier League stadiums Category:UEFA Champions League final stadiums Category:UEFA Europa League final stadiums Category:UEFA 5 star stadiums